Environmental Company is promoting the introduction of new technologies, such as robots, to reduce inspection and maintenance work time and to reduce equipment and materials. In 2019, we jointly developed a small running water tube thickness continuous measuring robot (SQUID®)* equipped with a flooded ultrasonic flaw detection sensor with Hibot Co., Ltd. The robot is moved from the boiler inspection port to the water pipe to be measured, and the sensor is inserted into the water pipe to automatically measure the boiler water pipe thickness continuously. This robot technology has succeeded in the demonstration of boiler water tube thickness measurement, and is currently providing services for grasping aging degradation such as wear and corrosion of boiler water tubes.
robot eliminates preparatory work, such as cutting a part of the boiler water pipe. Through the reduction of work time and the reduction of materials and equipment, both the increase in the number of plant operating days and the reduction of waste are realized. We are also contributing to the prevention of unexpected problems through timely and appropriate repairs based on obtained precision data. We will continue to promote inspection services and RaaS (Robot as a Service) utilizing advanced robotics technology.
